Tomorrow is our first official holiday we spent here in the US. The downside to it – at least for me – is that I have to work. The company I work for doesn’t shut down business on holidays, so we are all asked to work tomorrow. We actually are allowed to take a day off or are granted another Paid Day Off when we work tomorrow. I decided to go to work, because I don’t really care about the holiday and because I am going to a Baseball game with my colleagues in the afternoon anyways. So this work day won’t be as long as a normal work day will be.

We still have Flo’s parents with us in Los Angeles (they arrived two weeks ago), so Flo will spent his day off with his parents. Luckily the weather got a bit better in the last weeks, so they hopefully will have some time in the sun. It will be strange to actually see shops closed tomorrow, because everything in this city normally is so busy. But hopefully this will be a bit relaxing for Flo being the only one of us who has a day off.

In this spirit, I wish everyone here in the US a nice and sunny Memorial Day and everyone back in Germany a nice start into this new week!

I’ve been sick for a little over a week now and I can tell you being sick in this city sucks as hell. For me as a german being sick in California feels like being sick in the summer. In Germany you are normally (due to the cold weather) sick in winter, so this feels so off. Everyone at work runs around in tiny summer dresses and hot pants while I am sitting there in long pants, sweaters and even with a scarf.

But what even sucks more: This city has so much to offer that I always feel like I am missing out on something. Every day I am sick feels like a day I missed. It’s like when you are on vacation. You wanna make the most out of every day to make it count. I already feel like home over here and we began to life a normal life, but these days make me realize that sometimes it still feels like a vacation. A vacation you’ve got to make the most of.

Today I didn’t leave the house for one single minute. I didn’t even go to the balcony for the second. And that sucks. Especially because the weather finally is better and the sun is shining. But I swear: Next weekend I will do everything I missed this weekend. And I will be healthy and enjoy living in this beautiful city again.

Yesterday I talked to one of my friends, with whom I hadn’t speaken in a while. She asked me about how we were doing and about my feelings regarding my new life in the US. Sure, we think about this a lot and talk about it, but it feels different to talk about it to someone other than Flo. It kind of makes it so much more real. And it makes you kind of proud of yourself.

I have to say that we had a real good plan before we moved here. And that we had thought everything through so well. But even if we had luck on our side and everything worked out amazing so far, this was and still is a huge challenge. Maybe even the biggest challenge of our lifes! Every day you have to get yourself together again, go out there and do things you never thought you have to do again. You have to find new friends, you have to start a new job, a whole new life – and you have to do all of this in a new language! You find yourself in situations that leave you so sad. Like not having the network of friends you had at home. Not having your family close to come to the rescue whenever you need them. And just to be yourself, be brave and live!

Even if it feels strange to say this about myself, I am so proud Flo and I did this. And I am even more proud on how well we did it! I am beyond happy that we took that challenge and that we didn’t give up.

Please be aware: This is a dream. This is an amazing journey I would recommend to everyone. But it is hard! It is crazy! And it sometimes feels like being a kid again that has to learn everything new. But it is worth it! Definetely!